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The Most Extravagant Birthday Parties In The World

March 14, 2017

How much would you spend to celebrate your birthday? 100 bucks? 100 grand? A million? Well, while some of us shrug and say, ‘what the heck? It’s only a birthday’ when asked what plans we have, the Perez Hiltons of this world are hiring the world’s most expensive planners to ensure to make that day will be fantastic. It would not be a 32nd birthday if the world did not stop to take note.

1. The Sultan is 50! – 27.2 million

The Sultan of Brunei knows how to have a good time. He is said to have spent as much as $27.2 million when he turned 50 in 1996. He did not just serve his guest's caviar and champagne, but he also paid The King of Pop, Michael Jackson $16 million to entertain his guests.

2. Steve Schwarzman – $20-25 million

60 is clearly a milestone that tycoons take seriously. On his 60th, Steve Schwarzman, philanthropist, and CEO of the Blackstone Group did not pinch pennies. He is said to have spent between $3 and 5 million to have his close family, friends, and influential people entertained.

That was ten years ago. This year, 2017 marks yet another birthday and guess who went all out? The Wall Street mogul is said to have spent between $20 and 25 million to host a lavish birthday party at his Mar-a-Lago estate, which is a stone throw away from President Trump’s ‘winter Statehouse.’ The guest list included the crème of the world’s VIP. Gwen Stefani and the Jersey Boys entertained the 600 invitees.

3. Elizabeth Brooks’ Bar Mitzvah - $10 million

When David H. Brooks was still wealthy and famous, he made his then 13-year old daughter, Elizabeth, a very happy teenager. He granted her wish by flying in her favorite artists to perform at her Bar Mitzvah. Thanks to her diverse taste in music, Aerosmith, 50 Cent, Ciara, ad Steve Nicks were all flown in for the occasion on his company jet to dot on the young lady. How much did that cost? $10 million, but then again daddy could afford it.

4. David Bonderman - $7 million

They say everything is big in Texas; birthday parties included. It is not every day that one of the world’s richest turns 60. The equity titan spent a whopping $ 7 million to have John Mellencamp and The Rolling Stones perform for his carefully selected guests. Robin Williams was the comedy act.

Bonderman is known to throw extravagant birthday parties, and when he turned 70, he had a similarly star-studded bash. Paul McCartney was the surprise performer this time.

5. Andrei Melnichenko – 2 million

The Russian billionaire has a taste for the finer things in life. When he got married to former model Aleksandra Nikolic Melnichenko, he spent $4 million to have Christina Aguilera perform for the newlyweds.

On her birthday, he flew Jennifer Lopez in to perform at her party, which set him back $2 million. But then again, when you are a Russian industrialist, and on Forbes List of 400 great ones, this is pocket change, no?

6. Naomi Campbell -$1.8 million

It is not every day that supermodel Naomi Campbell turns 36, and so she had to let the world know she had arrived. The supermodel threw a lavish 3-day affair, renting all the 18 floors of the Burj Al Arab Hotel, and invited all her close friends to celebrate with her. Each of the three days was themed into ‘all white,’ ‘hip-hop,’ and ‘Brazilian Samba.’ That was some party, wasn’t it?

7. David Sacks Lets them Eat Cake - $1.4 million

Tech entrepreneur and investor David Sacks couldn’t let his 40th birthday pass without inviting folk to eat cake and make merry. His party themed ‘Let them eat cake’ cost him $1.4 million. But considering that Yammer, the company he was heading at that time, had just been acquired by Microsoft for slightly over $1 billion, it could have been a celebration of a new beginning. And life begins at 40, remember?

8. Sean "P. Diddy" Combs'-$3 million

The hip-hop mogul is known for his ‘all white parties’ that bring together the crème Del’ a crème of the music industry. If you aren’t invited to those, then you do not matter in the industry, or so it is said. Well, he knows how to show self-love. When he turned 40, the star made such a deal of his big day with a star-studded guest list, performances from some of the biggest names, and the world's finest white orchids which set him back no less than $28,000. Clearly, this party was a far outcry from his humble beginnings in Harlem.

9. Oprah Winfrey’s 50th Birthday

Some parties are so exclusive that the cost remains anybody’s guess. Winfrey, the queen of everything successful and one of the richest people in the world, celebrated her 50th in style. I mean, you can only imagine what it took to bring together Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, Jay Leno, Dr. Phil, Jennifer Anniston, Kelly Preston, Maria Shriver, among others. If you are Oprah, it only takes a phone call.

10. Chanel Iman Comes of Age

21 is a big deal when you are a world-renowned model and enjoying success at a tender age. It means, among other things, that you are officially legal in almost every part of the world. Victoria Secret’s Chanel Iman could not wait to let the world know that she was coming of age in a lavish party that was the talk of the town for over a week.

11. Paris Hilton At 21

What to do when you are an heiress who just reached the legal age to access her large trust fund? You throw several parties in some of the most expensive cities in the world to celebrate in style. Spend a measly $75,000 per guest and have nothing but the world’s most famous chef serve catering to you and your kith. That is how you do it in Hilton’s world. Read Less